. >> reporter: it's not even 8:00 and you would be hard pressed to keep up with cynthia kang. >> i forgot to buy onions. >> reporter: she maneuvers through the supermarket aisles looking for sales and specials. it's her monday morning ritual. cynthia cooks for the doris krauss senior center, at old first presbyterian church in san francisco. the center offers free lunch, once a week, for 40 to 60 neighborhood seniors. >> i love cooking. my passion is cook. and it's kind of therapeutic for me. >> reporter: in this small industrial kitchen cynthia creates meals from scratch, comfort food on a tight budget. today's menu of meatloaf, salad, mashed potatoes and mushrooms and a holiday cake came to just under $120. but the look on her guests' faces is priceless. >> when i see seniors be happy, when they are served and they want --they come and get second helping, it just makes me feel so satisfied that i made seniors happy for at least one afternoon. >> reporter: cynthia a human resources consultant first signed up to help serve one monday when her church said they were low on volunteers. >> i